Wonderful quote by Wally Buono (coach of Vancouver's football team) in today's Vancouver Sun that really captures the local media's "Jerry Springer" approach to sports journalism:
"Let me tell you something about the Vancouver media. They fuel each other with stupidity. One guy will make a ridiculous comment and everybody picks it up."

When it comes to the Canucks, this is particularly true of some of the talk radio pinheads and Tony Gallagher (whose negative crap in the print media is on the radio too) ... in the interest of ratings (and often because of a narrow range of sports "expertise" that includes hockey and not much else), these guys really do fuel our airwaves with stupidity.

I think most of it is just supply and demand. People want 24/7 Canucks coverage and there isn't enough actual newsworthy events to fill that demand so we get speculation, opinion, rumours, etc to try and fill the void.

Both of the above comments are absolutely right on target.
The local media is next to useless in their actual ability to cover sports (especially Galla-girl).
During the hockey season they always blow stuff way out of whack, just looking for ratings.
Exceptionally poor write ups in the papers, inane questions posed to the athletes and goof-ball personalities to boot.
That is the Vancouver Media.

I agree with Magnum, I think it's because we want Canucks 24/7, 365 days a year. Sometimes there's just not much to talk about, which leads to full radio shows based on pure speculation by the host and thier callers.

I know I'm as bad as anyone, right now I'm frusterated (although I understand) having no hockey on the radio or TV. I constantly flip between newspapers, radio and tv stations, doing "The cycle" of 22, 30, 54 on my tv, hoping there might be anything on hockey.... and then I'll do it again 5 min later.

I'm willing to read just about any garbage out there right now that even mentions the canucks, even though I know there's no real news. I can't help it, I'm an addict!

C'mon trainging camp! I want to see how some of these youngsters look. Here's hoping Reid comes back and blows by players with his speed..... mmmm....

F15 Driver wrote:The local media is next to useless in their actual ability to cover sports.During the hockey season they always blow stuff way out of whack, just looking for ratings.Exceptionally poor write ups in the papers, inane questions posed to the athletes and goof-ball personalities to boot.That is the Vancouver Media.

Which is why you have to give credit where due. Whoever hired Lee Powell @ Team1040 should be enshrined in perpetuity as one mediua boss who actually has a brain. Too bad he couldn't replace the jackass that hired the Idiot(tm). Mind you, they're probably one & the same.

Have to laugh at the reverence Bmac & the Tool hold for the "big daddy" Idiot(tm). I mean, at least with Hitler, there was something to admire.

SRsez wrote:Whoever hired Lee Powell @ Team1040 should be enshrined in perpetuity as one mediua boss who actually has a brain.

Have to agree with this ... Lee Powell is one of the bright spots on the Vancouver airwaves.

He's balanced, calm, and reasonable (as opposed to those guys who constantly "rant" just for effect and ratings).

Vancouver sure is a backwater when it comes to quality sports journalism ... and I think it's gotten to the point where some people here forget that there's more to intelligent sports reporting than just stirring things up "tabloid style" in the hope of creating controversey ... how else can it be explained that Jim Van Horne was put out to pasture this week by Sportsnet while pinheads with far less sports expertise and who are known for their daily sports ranting and raving are still working?

gobi wrote:Boy, MM and DP are going to have a field day with this one.

Actually, I think MediaMan would agree for the most part.

He certainly is no Pratt fan, and he definitely has no respect for self-proclaimed sports journalists who never ever show up at GM Place for hockey games, or are ever seen in the trenches of sporting events.

Guys like Pratt basically sit in the peanut gallery and launch their pot shots against people in the local sports scene much like radio-show callers ... you'll never see him interviewed by anyone else as an expert on anything (except maybe scotch & cougar bars).

It is a pretty sad bunch we have here in the Vancouver sports media! I'm greatfull for places like this were we can bulls--t about the Canucks and not have to deal with them or buy their papers or listen to there crap! There's atleast a dozen or moe regular posters here whose opinions and insight into the Canucks and the game of hockey that I value way more than those egotistical " journalists".

F15 Driver wrote:The local media is next to useless in their actual ability to cover sports.During the hockey season they always blow stuff way out of whack, just looking for ratings.Exceptionally poor write ups in the papers, inane questions posed to the athletes and goof-ball personalities to boot.That is the Vancouver Media.

It really makes me wonder how this might play out now that the TEAM 1040 is the Canucks' radio rightsholder.People like Dave Pratt and Gallagher, who live to slam the Canucks, will be in a whole different role this year. Wonder if the Canucks will try to mute them? Eliminate them?

SRsez wrote:

F15 Driver wrote:Which is why you have to give credit where due. Whoever hired Lee Powell @ Team1040 should be enshrined in perpetuity as one mediua boss who actually has a brain..

It's so nice to hear someone else who likes Lee Powell. He is terrific as a show host b/c he engages callers. It's not all about him. He also makes part of a great tandem with Brooke Ward on Canadians games. I hope he sits in with Ward on some Canucks post games this year.

I think Lee Powell tows the media line like all the rest, ecspecially when it came to creating a contraversy around Todd Bertuzzi. He may let his callers have more of an opinion than the rest of the trash but he was in on the whole line of crap that was going on.